Detachable fluid-tight joint for protective clothing



Nov. 19, 1957 E T. HAGAN DETACHABLE FLUID-TIGHT JOINT FOR PROTECTIVE CLOTHING Filed A ril 20, 1955 .H m% m 9 J n .l. a 5 yw E E 0 m w M M 5, a

, 2,813,272 Patented Nov. 19, 1957 DETACHABLE FLUID-TIGHT JOINT FOR PROTECTIVE CLOTHING Eugene T. Hagan, Dayton, Ohio, assignor to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force Application April 20, 1955, Serial No. 502,758

3 Claims. (Cl. 2-82) (Granted under Title 35, U. S. Code (1952), sec. 266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the United States Government for governmental purposes without payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to a detachable sealing joint for protective clothing worn by personnel handling corrosive chemicals. More particularly this invention relates to a fluid-tight joint used on protective clothing to join gloves or mittens and boots to protective clothing forming a seal impervious to liquids, gases and vapors.

A number of detachable joints are known for use on protective clothing. Some of these joints, such as the drawstring type or the elastic band type, do not insure complete protection from corrosive chemicals. Other types of known joints used on protective clothing are much more complex and/or difiicult to operate. by the individual using the clothing.

It is an object of this invention to provide a detachable joint particularly designed for attaching gloves or mittens and/or boots to protective clothing to form a seal impervious to corrosive chemicals.

It is another object of this invention to provide a detachable joint usable on protective clothing to give a seal impervious to vapors, liquids and gases.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a detachable joint usable on protective clothing which is easily operated by the individual wearing the clothing.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent as the detailed description of the invention proceeds.

By this invention a detachable sealing joint for protective clothing is provided. A tubular stiffening member which is made of rigid material to avoid deformation is associated with the arm sleeve member or trouser leg sleeve member of the protective clothing to form one part of the basic structure or a first joint portion. A second tubular stiffening member is associated with a second sleeve member which is the gauntlet part of a glove or mitten or the top portion of a boot to form the structural part of the second portion of the joint. A resilient sleeve member is associated with one of the stiffening members and/ or one of the sleeve members and a piping, welt or ring is associated with this sleeve member and/or this stiffening member to retain the resilient sleeve member when it is in a rolled-up condition. One of the stiffening members has a larger internal cross section than the external cross section of the other stiffening member so the larger will slip over the smaller in a close slip fit. The joint closure is made by inserting the larger stiffening member over the smaller stiffening member and rolling out the resilient sleeve member to cover a part of the first joint portion and a part of the second joint portion to form the fluid-tight impervious seal.

It is preferred to rigidly attach the stiffening members to the sleeve members by stitching, cement or other suitable means; however, it is possible that these members could be attached by slipping a stiffening member within a sleeve member in a close press fit. It is preferred to attach the resilient sleeve member to a sleeve member or to a tubular stiffening member by cement or other suitable means; however, the resilient member is elastic and could be attached by merely being slipped over the stiffening member. In any event it is desirable that the internal cross section of the resilient sleeve member be smaller in cross section than the outer cross section of the tubular stiffening members. Also, it is preferred that the piping be rigidly attached to a tubular stiffening member or be formed on the free-edge of a sleeve member. To facilitate the insertion of the larger stiffening member over the smaller stiffening member it is preferred that they be tapered. The rolling up as Well as the rolling out of the resilient sleeve member will be facilitated by having an enlarged piping or edging along its freeedge. For the purpose of this invention sleeve member is broadly defined to mean an arm sleeve of a garment, a trouser leg sleeve of a garment, a gauntlet of a glove or mitten, or the top portion of a boot.

The word sleeve as used herein is intended to include not only tubular arm coverings but any other body cover ing tubular portions of a garment.

The invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description of a specific example thereof read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. l is an elevational view of the sealing joint and a part of the related protective clothing, and Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the sealing joint taken approximately on the plane 2-2 of Fig. l.

The invention will be described in detail with reference to an acid resistant suit, particularly designed for use by personnel handling rocket fuel. Fig. 1 shows an elevational view of the detachable sealing joint 11. A sleeve of the protective coating is represented by a vinyl-coated glass cloth 12. Piping 15 is formed along the free-edge of sleeve 12 by rolling it back over cotton cord 14. An insert or stiffening member 13 suitably made of molded vinyl chloride polymer and copolymer is attached to sleeve 12 by stitching 16 or other suitable means. The stiffening members may be made of plastic, metal or other suitable material. Suitable thread for stitching is polyester fiber thread. A resilient sleeve member 17 having an enlarged free-end 18 in the form of piping is rigidly attached to sleeve 12 by cement 19 or other suitable means. A suitable resilient member 17 may be made from Butyl rubber or other synthetic rubber. The cement used for joining the resilient member to sleeve 12 can suitably be a general purpose synthetic base cement. Sleeve 2% represents a glove gauntlet or the top portion of a boot. A suitable material for making the glove and gauntlet is a vinyl-coated cotton cloth. Normally the boot would be made from synthetic rubber. Sleeve member 20 is joined to insert or tubular stiffening member 21 *by cement 22 'or other suitable means. Member 21 can be made of the same material as member 13. It is preferred that all stitched seams be coated with a suitable resin to seal them, for example, a vinyl resin similar to that used on coating the sleeve members of the protective clothing.

The sealing joint is operated in the following fashion: In the figures the joint is shown in an assembled and sealed condition. To detach the joint a person grasps piping 18 and proceeds to roll resilient member 17 up over piping 15. Piping 15 will then retain resilient member 17 in a rolled up condition. Next the two structural portions of the joint are separated by merely pulling to remove member 13 from inside member 21. The reverse procedure is, of course, used, in assembling and sealing the joint. In the assembled condition the freeend of stiffening member 21 butts up against piping 15.

Although the invention has been described in terms of specified apparatus which is set forth in considerable detail, it should be understood that this is by way of illustration only and that the invention is not necessarily limited thereto, since alternative embodiments and other operating techniques Will become apparent to those schooled in the art in view of the disclosure. According- 1y, modifications are contemplated which may be made without departing from the spirit of the described invention or of the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A detachable sealing joint for protective clothing comprising a first sleeve member, a first tubular stiffening member rigidly attached to the inner Wall of said first sleeve member and extending substantially beyond the free end thereof, piping on the free-edge of said first sleeve member, a resilient sleeve member rigidly attached to the outer Wall of said first sleeve member at a point above said piping and extending substantially beyond the free end of said first sleeve member, a second sleeve member arranged to engage and encircle the extending portion of said first tubular stifiening member, a second tubular stiffening member rigidly attached to the inner Wall at the free end of said second sleeve member, said second tubular stifiening member being larger in internal cross section at its free-end than the external cross section of said first tubular stiifening member at its freeend so that larger slip over the smaller in a close slip fit, said resilient sleeve member being capable of being rolled up over said piping and being retained by said piping in the rolled-up condition and being capable of being rolled out over said piping to cover the free end portions of both said sleeve members giving a fluid-tight seal impervious to both gases and liquids.

2. A detachable sealing joint for protective clothing comprising a first sleeve member, a first tubular stiffening member rigidly attached inside said first sleeve member and extending substantially beyond the free end thereof, piping formed on the free-edge of said first sleeve member, a resilient sleeve member having piping formed on its free-edge rigidly attached to the outside of said first sleeve member and extending substantially beyond said first sleeve piping, a second sleeve member arranged to engage and encircle the extending portion of said first tubular stifiening member, said resilient sleeve member when not subjected to stretching being smaller in internal cross section than the outer cross section of both of said sleeve members, a second tubular stifiening member rigidly attached inside said second sleeve member, said second tubular stiffening member being tapered and larger in internal cross section at its free-end than the external cross section of said first tubular stiffening member at its free-end and said first tubular member being tapered to mate with said second tubular member to facilitate insertion of the smaller in, thelarger and provide a close slip fit, said resilient sleeve member being capable of being rolled up over said first sleeve piping and being retained by said first sleeve piping in the rolled-up condition and being capable of being rolled out over said first sleeve piping to cover the free-end portions of both said first and second sleeve members giving a fluid-tight seal impervious to both gases and liquids.

3. A detachable sealing joint for protective clothing comprising a first sleeve member, a first tubular stiffening member attached near the free-end of said first sleeve member and extending beyond the free end thereof to form a first joint portion, piping on the outside of said first joint portion near the free-end thereof, a resilient sleeve member attached to the outside of said first joint portion above said piping and extending beyond the free-end of said first joint portion when said resilient sleeve is, in a rolled out condition, a second sleeve member arranged to engage and encircle the extending portion of said first tubular stiffening member, a second tubular stifiening member attached near the free-end of said second sleeve member to form a second joint portion, said second stiffening member having a larger internal cross section than the external cross section of said first stiffening member so the larger will slip over the smaller in a close slip fit, said resilient sleeve member being capable of being rolled up over said piping and being retained by said piping in the rolled up condition and being capable of being rolled out over said piping to cover a part of both said first and second joint portions giving a fluidtight seal impervious to both gases and liquids.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 262,310 Ohliger Aug. 8, 1882 1,110,959 Niewiardowski Sept. 15, 1914 1,642,670 Davis, et al. Sept. 20, 1927 2,618,257 Berkman Nov. 18, 1952 2,655,663 Hoagland Oct. 20, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 608,088 Germany Jan. 15, 1935 590,395 Great Britain July 16, 1947 

